GroupM × Amaze — A-Plus Inclusion

GroupM's Australian agencies (EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker) partnered with autism organisation Amaze to drive neurodiverse workplace inclusion, piloting Amaze's A-Plus Inclusion program. It's an education initiative designed with autistic people. The rollout began during Neurodiversity Celebration Week at GroupM's Melbourne campus.

As an autistic advocate and an Amaze advisory board member, I helped connect the two organisations and championed the inclusive hiring initiative inside the agency. Being open about my neurodiversity at GroupM helped me and others feel safe and welcomed. That experience directly shaped how the program was introduced.

What it delivered

• Progress on GroupM's 16-point Disability Action Plan. Launched in 2023 under its Better For All initiative, seven actions were complete and five were in progress when the partnership began.
• A pilot of the A-Plus Inclusion program across GroupM's agencies, starting at the Melbourne campus.
• A neurodiversity training rollout, with all AUNZ managers trained on managing neurodiverse staff better.

Why it matters

One in six Australians has a disability, yet only 48 percent of working-aged people with disability are employed, compared to 80 percent of those without. Closing that gap takes real structural change inside employers. That is exactly what a partnership between a media holding group and an autism organisation is built to deliver.

GroupM chief people officer Scott Laird said at the time: "The partnership with Amaze and the A-Plus Inclusion pilot programme represent significant milestones in our journey towards becoming a neuro-inclusive workplace, and the A-Plus framework can support other organisations across the media communications industry". Reported in B&T, 21 March 2024.

The Disability Action Plan was created in 2023 under GroupM's Better For All initiative. I spoke as a panelist at the public launch in March 2024, sharing my lived experience.